Gettysburg, PA
11:17 PM
When a day starts off with you going to a place where more than 50,000 American’s were killed or wounded, it starts pretty deep. After a mean breakfast, Arden and I ventured out for my tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Arden is a man that knows a lot about a lot. We went to the information center, I picked up two brochures for a driving tour, and off we went. I was armed with my camera and my ears as Arden explained details. The tour would have been great with these two things, but when you add the fact the Gettysburg has been preserved as closely as possible to the way it was in July of 1863, it made it that much better. My imagination is strong. Sometimes too strong as I can think and overanalyze. In this case, I was glad to have it with me.
We started on the west side of the battlefield where the North Carolina Memorial is. This is the spot where “Early in the day, the Confederate army positioned itself on high ground here… The lines of both armies formed two parallel “fishhooks.”” And when they say this is the spot, this is the spot. We got out of the car and looked at the cannons, and the fence, and the field the soldiers had in front of them. We looked at the memorial. In this city there are more memorials and monuments than in any other. I learned that North Carolina had 25% of the Confederate force. Don’t quote my facts as I am taking this from our conversation. My day was packed and I may miss speak.
Facts are facts. But when you see what I saw today, you make your own facts. Imagine yourself as a young farmer from North Carolina fighting for whatever reason you’re fighting for. Here you are, you’ve walked all the way here, carried supplies, your weapon, you might not have shoes on your feet. You’ve been successful with your commander, Robert E. Lee. You just won 7 of 8 down south. You’re progress is strong, but you’ve got to be tired. But here you are, outside of Gettysburg, unknowing what is ahead of you. Lee did not have great intelligence for this battle. In the distance is the town, closer ahead are the fields, farms, farm houses, and I’m sure you had to see some Union troops. I could picture all of this as I stood there today with the sun hitting me, the breeze flowing, and the aura of war in the air.
We then moved south a bit down to where the Virginia group and Memorial was. Here, “The large open field to the east is where the last Confederate assault of the battle, known as Picket’s Charge, occurred July 3.” Picket’s Charge is what swung the battle to the Union army. It is known as the “High Water Mark” of the Confederacy. I take that as the point the Confederacy began their downfall into losing the Civil War. As I stood at this point, the spot where the charge took place was still far away. But as I listened, I could again picture myself as a soldier. Picket’s Charge was a group of 12,000 Confederate soldiers that advanced across open fields toward the Union, or Federalist, center. They were trying to break the Union Army up into two. The Confederate had them almost surrounded at this point, like a nutcracker, and they were squeezing to break them. The Charge was to be the final straw. Imagine the fire, the intensity, and the fear in these soldiers as they prepared to charge over hundreds of yards, maybe miles, of open fields into a waiting salvo of fire and men. Picket’s Charge failed, as 5,000 men were killed in an hour’s time. The next day, July 4, Lee’s army began to retreat.
We moved on. Two spots and all of that. The battlefield is huge. In looking at my map, it may be 10 miles North/South, and 5 miles East/West. Fighting was going on everywhere. Remember, this is a driving tour. Communication had to be rough. Medical facilities had to be awful. Holding the lines in the terrain close to impossible. Trees, high grass, boulders, woods, and soggy soil from heavy rain would have caused major issues for both sides.
We then arrived at a point that was held by the Union Army, Little Round Top. This is a point that the Confederates snuck up on the Union. It was the farthest point south held by the Union. It took quick action to bring reinforcement to this point. This point is a rocky, bouldery hill where the bottom is bordered by fields and woods. To have this high point was important. We were at the top and again, here I was, this time a Union soldier. I could imagine man after Confederate man trying to run up the hill, climbing clumsily over the rocks as bullet after bullet would be fired. Men must have been strewn all over the place. I overheard a worker giving a tour. At this point he said, “there were 50,000 men fighting in a one mile square area. 20,000 ended up dying. They there was so much blood flowing from the top to the bottom, it was like a river, seeping out from the rocks.” Wow.
We then went to an area called Spangler’s Spring. This is a sight where, “About 7 PM, Confederates attacked the right flank of the Union army… The next morning the Confederates were driven off after seven hours of fighting.” Take a moment and think about the timing. They started fighting at 7 PM. They then stopped until morning. Now think of the name of the site, Spangler’s Spring. Arden explained that this was one of the few sites on the field where there was fresh water. Imagine the scene at midnight was thirsty, war torn men from both sides ventured to the spring to gather water. I don’t know what they said. It doesn’t say the killed each other. What a strange feeling it would have been to see the enemy so close, needing the same thing you needed, a drink. Would people stop and talk? Would others get mad at them for doing so? Would they talk about the battle and wonder what it was all for?
And then we left. I left tired and worn out. My mind worked too hard. My heart felt something there. Awe. Death. Amazement. Sadness. War and battle can bring many emotions to you, even after 140 years.